New display: autumn 2024

Our new display at ECA Library focuses on book works by artist Jane Hyslop, including a recent acquisition: The Oak Tree: a tribute to eternity.

An illustrated concertina book with three pages open
Jane Hyslop: The Oak Tree: a tribute to eternity

Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando, a biography, and spanning over 700 years, The Oak Tree: a tribute to eternity weaves historical and contemporary fact with fiction, and marks the pivotal point at which we now find ourselves in the face of climate change and declining biodiversity. It follows Woolf’s groundbreaking novel in drawing attention to the very moment of the present, while urging us to look to the future.

Taking the form of an imagined visual edition of the manuscript the eponymous character writes throughout the novel, the artist’s book is accompanied by an introduction and notes written in collaboration with Professor Bryony Randall.

Other works featured in the display include Edinburgh: a visual handbook, 2007, and An Experiment, 2010.

Library in focus 3: National Galleries of Scotland: Modern Two Reading Room

This is the third post in the Library in Focus series, exploring other libraries that could be useful to ECA students.

Today we look at the archive and library at Modern Two, part of the research facilities offered by the National Galleries of Scotland.

A photo of the reading room at Modern Two
The reading room at Modern Two

The reading room at Modern Two is open by prior appointment Monday to Friday, 10am–1pm and 2pm–4.30pm.

The Library at Modern Two covers the history and theory of art from the early fourteenth century to the present. The library has around 100,000 items accessible in the Reading Room, including monographs, catalogues raisonnés, exhibition catalogues, periodicals, auction sales catalogues, audio-visual material, accession files and ephemera. The gallery accession files (sometimes referred to as dossiers) are a unique curatorial resource on every work in the collection, from Titian to Tanning.

The library has been developed to support research into the Collection and the holdings reflect this, with particular strengths in Scottish and European art, and Dada and Surrealism.

The Archive contains over 140 holdings relating to twentieth and twenty-first century artists, collectors and art organisations, and is particularly rich in papers relating to art and artists in Scotland. These include documents, drawings, sketchbooks, correspondence, photographs, textiles, artists’ materials and tools, diaries, newscuttings, audio-visual material and other printed ephemera. There are significant holdings on Eduardo Paolozzi, Joan Eardley and Richard Demarco.

The archive also includes primary materials of international importance in the Roland Penrose and Gabrielle Keiller collections of Dada and Surrealism.

Over 6,000 artists’ books and special books are also available to view in the Reading Room. This collection contains many of the most significant books by artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, and includes a world class collection of Dada and Surrealist publications drawn from the book collections of Roland Penrose and Gabrielle Keiller.

To book a visit and find out more about the collections click here.

Bookmarks Winners Display 2024

We are delighted to introduce the 2023 Bookmarks Prizewinners in the exhibition at ECA Library, Evolution House, West Port, 3rd April – 12th May 2024.

A picture of a library display of 7 artworks on paper
Works by Charlene Scott, Innes Clark and Daisy Whittle

During the 2023 Graduate show a panel was tasked to select a group of students who demonstrated in their work an appreciation of the book and an ambitious approach to using it within their practice.

These Prizewinners were then invited to return to ECA and showcase their work at Bookmarks 2024, and now a selection of their work can be viewed at ECA Library.

Prizewinners are as follows:

Innes Clark – Illustration BA Hons

Instagram: @innesclarkillo

Charlene Scott – Intermedia BA Hons

Instagram:   @charlenescottart

 

Daisy Whittle – Illustration BA Hons

Instagram: @daisywhittle.illustrator

BOOKMARKS 2024

Bookmarks 2024 took place at ECA on Wednesday 27th March from 1.00pm to 7.00pm at the ECA Sculpture Court.

A view from above of the bookfair taking place in the Sculpture Court
Bookmarks 2024 in action!

This annual event is a fantastic opportunity to meet artists’ books and zines makers, buy and swap stuff, and attend workshops!

Check out the new ECA website for more info.

A graphic for Bookmarks 2024
Illustration by Rebecca Tate, Year 3 Illustration, School of Design, at ECA

On a Clear Day: Bookworks and Poem-objects responding to Agnes Martin

11 January 2024:

 

ECA Library is delighted to host a new display featuring works by Julie Johnstone of Essence Press, and Alan Shipway, painter. Julie has long been drawn to the painter Agnes Martin (1912-2004). For this project she decided to address her interest in Agnes Martin directly, in order to see the body of work that might result when Martin’s life and work ‘met’ her own practice. She was interested in asking what it was that draws us to a particular painter or work of art – that affinity or resonance one feels – and how one might be inspired by that. Also on display are two watercolours by Alan Shipway who is also an admirer of Agnes Martin.

The show is open now until the end of February 2024.

Please do come along to ECA Library, level 1 of Evolution House, West Port, to take a look at our 3 display cabinets and the wonderful works inside.

NB: Evolution House is open to the public Monday – Friday, 9.00am – 4.45pm only. Sometimes our reception needs to close over lunchtime, at short notice, so please either phone ahead to check the building is open or arrive between 9am and 12, or 2pm and 4pm. You can reach ECA Library on 0131 651 5700. Thank you!

For more information go to the Essence Press website

At Home in the World – a sumptuous donation to ECA Library

We have recently received a most beautiful book as a donation from Professor Elizabeth Cowling, “At Home in the World: the Art and Life of Gulammohammed Sheikh”, edited by Chaitanya Sambrani, from Tulika Books, 2019.

Gulammohammed Sheikh has played a pioneering role in contemporary Indian art’s engagement with hybridity and a plural inheritance. Resolutely attentive to the multiplicity of experience and systems of representation and belief on the subcontinent, Sheikh’s art has reimagined relationships with the often paradoxical nature of tradition.

In a practice stretching more than five decades and across painting and digital media, Sheikh has sought to articulate a way of incorporating his fascination with historical figures and sources stretching from Italy to China in an encyclopedic endeavor, producing contemporary art that unashamedly declares its affiliations to earlier ways of seeing, thinking, and doing.

At Home in the World presents the first comprehensive study of the art and life of this seminal figure, bringing together aspects of biographical discussion alongside other modes of art historical analysis.

Once catalogued this gorgeous book will be available at ECA Library, Evolution House.

illustrated cover of the book
At Home in the World: front cover and images from inside…

       

Barbara A. Morton exhibition at ECA Library: sidereal. the afterimage

From 8th September until 7th November 2023 we were delighted to host sidereal. the afterimage, presenting a selection of work from ~ sidereal. the afterimage, by Barbara A. Morton of Entropie Books.

sidereal. the afterimage

sidereal. the afterimage

~ sidereal. the afterimage is a new chapter of creative composition by Barbara A Morton.

The exhibition takes its title from the distinctive signature piece ~ sidereal. the
afterimage which achieves an extension of intention and originality in the
expression of poetry, book-making, drawing, and design.

The accompanying pieces, likewise, demonstrate ambition and creative reach,
both technically and imaginatively, and serve to maintain and develop Barbara’s
ongoing purpose of bringing poetry and poetic text to its aesthetic and accurate
environment ~ to encourage the reader to look, and to encourage the viewer to
read. To look closely. To look again. To look ~ for longer.

The show was at ECA Library, Evolution House (level 1), West Port, Edinburgh, until noon on 7th November 2023. Evolution House is open to the public Monday – Friday, 9.00am – 4.45pm.

 

 

ECA Library Prize winner at 2023 RSA Annual is announced!

We are delighted that Norwegian artist Kjersti Sletteland has been announced as the winner of the 2023 RSA Annual ECA Library Prize. Kjersti wins a one year free borrowing membership to the ECA Library collections, which is part of the University of Edinburgh Libraries.
Well done Kjersti!
You can find out more here.

Picture of a sculpture made of porcelain
Rumination Tango by Kjersti Sletteland

Rumination Tango by Kjersti Sletteland

Using the Digital Wall at the Main Library to promote your work

The Digital Wall at the Main Library
Here are some guidelines for students who may wish to exhibit their work on the Main Library Digital Wall.
There are two ways to show video or moving image work on the Digital Wall:
1: Continuous loop films that populate the whole 18 4k screens at about 1-2 mins in length. Pixel Dimensions for these films are 7680 × 2160 at 30fps.
2: Films that are accessed via the touch screens that play on 9 screens at a time: about 3 mins is a good length. (Maximum 4 mins). Pixel Dimensions for these screens are 3840 × 2160 at 30fps. These films can be grouped into ‘collections’ within the Digital Wall database.
Students should supply an Mp4 file, preferably using the H.264 codec.
Still images can be shown using the same formats above, as Mp4 files/short films.
If you wish to exhibit your work on the Digital Wall it would be best to visit the Main Library (first floor landing) to see the Wall in action.
Who to contact:
Malcolm Brown, Deputy Photographer: Malcolm.Brown@ed.ac.uk
Digital Imaging Unit, University of Edinburgh, Main Library, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LJ
Alternative contacts:
Gavin Willshaw, Digitisation & Digital Engagement Manager: Gavin.Willshaw@ed.ac.uk
Stuart Robinson, Technician, Audio Visual Resources, Digital Library: Stuart.Robinson@ed.ac.uk
Watch a clip of ECA Student Work on the Digital Wall